- Edward H. Bennett
Edward H. Bennett (1874 - 1954) was an
architect known for his civic contribution and his work in the area ofChicago .Biography
Bennett was born in
Wiltshire ,England on 1874. He received his education at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts inParis from 1895 to 1902, thanks to the generosity ofPhoebe Apperson Hearst . The training and friendships he made at the École shaped his entire career.After a short time in
New York with architectGeorge B. Post , Bennett moved toChicago to assist architectDaniel H. Burnham in preparing a plan for the military academy atWest Point . Burnham found Bennett's work highly satisfactory and took him on to do the field work for the comprehensiveplan for San Francisco begun in 1904. Although this completed plan was not implemented in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, Burnham hired Bennett full-time to work on his plan for Chicago.Bennett, who co-authored the
Plan of Chicago in 1909, made Chicago his personal and professional headquarters for the rest of his career. He served on theChicago Plan Commission in various capacities into the 1930s and developed a substantial private practice and a national reputation as a city planner. Burnham, who largely retired from active practice after 1905, other than for his work in Chicago, directed applicants to Bennett, who, with partnersWilliam E. Parsons (1872-1939) andHarry T. Frost (1886-1943), served as a planning consultant to many cities large and small. In the plan for Chicago, Burnham and Bennett created a working document giving substance to the City Beautiful philosophy. From this prototype Bennett developed comparable plans for numerous American cities, includingMinneapolis ,Detroit , andPortland, Oregon .Usually serving on a consultant basis, frequently for quasi-public or commercial interests such as the
Commercial Club of Chicago , Bennett's firm was a pioneer in the creation ofzoning ordinances and the study of transportation andregional planning as urban design tools. His vision of the city was formed in the application of Beaux-Arts design principles ofaxiality and the incorporation of monumental public buildings as civic markers, coupled with a systematic ordering of functions for efficiency. Bennett's ideas about the marriage of technical and aesthetic ideals are important examples of urban utility and beauty in a democratic society. Bennett was concerned with both the regional organization of a city's services and the individual citizen's enjoyment of his city. He realized the importance of transportation planning, the placement of government and civic structures, zoning, and the creation of parks and public spaces for public enjoyment.After
World War I , the nature of planning work changed. Fully three-quarters of the Bennett firm's work done in the 1920s was for official city planning agencies rather than for independent business or civic groups. With theGreat Depression , Bennett's volume of work declined. From the late 1920s, he was involved in planning for the 1933 ChicagoCentury of Progress Exposition , and designed a number of structures for it. From 1927 until 1937, Bennett served as Chairman of the Board of Architects responsible for the development of theFederal Triangle inWashington, DC , a large complex of government buildings between theWhite House and theUnited States Capitol built to house a number of Federal agencies, including what is now theNational Archives and Records Administration .After the retirement and death of his partners, Bennett closed his practice in 1944 and spent the final decade of his life in retirement. In the course of his career, Bennett had worked in nearly 20 states, from
California toFlorida , as well as in Puerto Rico and Canada. He presented his papers to TheArt Institute of Chicago in 1953, and these were supplemented by additional gifts and bequests from his architect son, Edward H. Bennett, Jr., over the following two decades. The collection comprises the complete archival holdings of Bennett's work, consisting of manuscript materials, daily diaries, photographs, drawings, newspaper clippings, and published plans for a number of cities.Works
*
Buckingham Fountain - Chicago, IL
*Michigan Avenue Bridge - Chicago, IL
*Peristyle at Millennium Park (original) - Chicago, IL
* Civic Center Park -Denver , CO
* 1909Plan of Chicago
* 1915Plan for Ottawa
*Luis Muñoz Rivera Park -San Juan, Puerto Rico External References
* http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/200442.html (Portrait at the
Encyclopedia of Chicago )
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